TIVDAK® (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) Receives U.S. FDA Approval to Treat Recurrent or Metastatic Cervical Cancer

On April 30, 2024 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for TIVDAK (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) for the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after chemotherapy (Press release, Pfizer, APR 30, 2024, View Source [SID1234643134]). This FDA action converts the September 2021 accelerated approval of TIVDAK to a full approval. TIVDAK is the first antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) with demonstrated overall survival data to be granted full FDA approval in this patient population.

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The approval is based on results from the global, randomized, Phase 3 innovaTV 301 clinical trial (NCT04697628), in which TIVDAK met its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS) in patients with previously treated recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer compared to chemotherapy. Secondary endpoints of progression-free survival (PFS) and a confirmed objective response rate (ORR) were also met. In October 2023, results from the innovaTV 301 study were initially disclosed during the Presidential Symposium at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress.

"As a treating physician, it is encouraging to see overall survival data among these patients and a manageable safety profile with tisotumab vedotin," said Brian Slomovitz, M.D., Director of Gynecologic Oncology and Co-Chair of the Cancer Research Committee at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach. "Treatment options for patients with advanced or recurrent cervical cancer are limited. The five-year survival rate for patients who have metastatic disease at diagnosis is less than 20% in the U.S.i There is a high unmet need for more treatment options that have demonstrated survival benefit in the contemporary treatment landscape. The approval of tisotumab vedotin brings us a step closer to fulfilling that need."

The innovaTV 301 study met its primary endpoint of OS, demonstrating a 30% reduction in the risk of death compared with chemotherapy (Hazard ratio [HR]: 0.70 [95% CI: 0.54, 0.89], two-sided p=0.0038ii). Median OS for patients treated with TIVDAK was 11.5 months [95% CI: 9.8-14.9] versus chemotherapy 9.5 months [95% CI: 7.9-10.7]. 

"The full FDA approval of TIVDAK represents a significant achievement for women with recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer, reinforcing TIVDAK as a treatment option that has proven to extend survival in patients whose disease has advanced after initial treatments," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. "This milestone underscores the importance of our ongoing clinical development program to assess the full potential of tisotumab vedotin as a treatment option in other indications."

"Recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer is a particularly devastating and mostly incurable disease, and patients are in need of survival-extending treatment options," said Chris Boshoff, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Oncology Officer, Executive Vice President at Pfizer. "Today’s full approval by the FDA reinforces the important role of TIVDAK for these patients, as the first antibody-drug conjugate with statistically significant prolonged overall survival data."

The safety profile of TIVDAK in innovaTV 301 was consistent with its known safety profile as presented in the U.S. prescribing information which includes a BOXED WARNING for Ocular Toxicity. No new safety issues were identified. The most common (≥25%) adverse reactions, including laboratory abnormalities, in patients receiving TIVDAK were hemoglobin decreased (41%), peripheral neuropathy (38%), conjunctival adverse reactions (37%), aspartate aminotransferase increased (34%), nausea (33%), alanine aminotransferase increased (30%), fatigue (28%), sodium decreased (27%), epistaxis (26%), and constipation (25%).

The sBLA application received a Priority Review Designation, which is granted by the U.S. FDA to medicines that may offer significant advances in treatment or may provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists.iii TIVDAK was granted accelerated approval in the U.S. by the FDA in September 2021, based on tumor response and durability of response from the innovaTV 204 pivotal Phase 2 single-arm clinical trial evaluating TIVDAK as a monotherapy in patients with previously treated recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer.

"Today marks a great day for patients, especially adults battling advanced cervical cancer," said Tamika Felder, cervical cancer patient advocate and Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Cervivor, Inc. "This full approval opens up new treatment paths for this patient community who have long faced limited options."

About Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer remains a disease with high unmet need despite advances in effective vaccination and screening practices to prevent and diagnose pre-/early-stage cancers for curative treatment. Recurrent and/or metastatic cervical cancer is a particularly devastating and mostly incurable disease; up to 15% of adults with cervical cancer present with metastatic disease at diagnosisiv,v and, for adults diagnosed at earlier stages who receive treatment, up to 61%vi will experience disease recurrence. It was estimated that in 2023, more than 13,960 new cases of invasive cervical cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. and 4,310 adults would die from the disease.vii

About the innovaTV 301 Trial
The innovaTV 301 trial (NCT04697628) is a global, 1:1 randomized, open-label Phase 3 trial evaluating TIVDAK (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) versus investigator’s choice of single agent chemotherapy (topotecan, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, irinotecan or pemetrexed) in 502 patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer who received one or two prior systemic regimens in the recurrent or metastatic setting.

Patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with squamous cell, adenocarcinoma or adenosquamous histology, and disease progression during or after treatment with chemotherapy doublet +/- bevacizumab and an anti-PD-(L)1 agent (if eligible) are included. The primary endpoint was overall survival. The main secondary outcomes were progression-free survival and objective response rate.

The study was conducted by Seagen, which was acquired by Pfizer in December 2023, in collaboration with Genmab, European Network of Gynaecological Oncological Trial Groups (ENGOT, study number ENGOT cx-12) and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Foundation (study number GOG 3057), as well as other global gynecological oncology cooperative groups. For more information about the Phase 3 innovaTV 301 clinical trial and other clinical trials with tisotumab vedotin, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.

About TIVDAK (tisotumab vedotin-tftv)
TIVDAK (tisotumab vedotin-tftv) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) composed of Genmab’s human monoclonal antibody directed to tissue factor (TF) and Pfizer’s ADC technology that utilizes a protease-cleavable linker that covalently attaches the microtubule-disrupting agent monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) to the antibody. Nonclinical data suggest that the anticancer activity of tisotumab vedotin-tftv is due to the binding of the ADC to TF-expressing cancer cells, followed by internalization of the ADC-TF complex and release of MMAE via proteolytic cleavage. MMAE disrupts the microtubule network of actively dividing cells, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death. In vitro, tisotumab vedotin-tftv also mediates antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.